When it comes to Brendan Benson, There Is No Alternative

Detroit-based, incredibly talented songsmith Brendan Benson will release the follow-up to his critically-acclaimed 2002 album Lapalco in March. Dubbed The Alternative To Love, the album will be Benson's first for V2 Records, as his relationship with hip, Brooklyn-based indie StarTime International ended earlier this year. Like his last effort, Alternative was recorded entirely at Benson's home studio in Detroit's Belle Isle neighborhood, a luxury that allowed the artist to tweak songs whenever inspiration struck. The fact that he played ALL the instruments on the album himself meant he could not only tweak songs whenever he wanted, but also however he wanted, without having to wait for the drummer to recover from a hangover or the lead guitarist to finish banging his girlfriend in the bathroom (which is a plus). Playing all the instruments may also be the reason for the three-year wait between albums, but considering there was a span of six years between his magnificent debut One Mississippi and Lapalco, I'd say he's moving in the right direction.

Benson has another project in the works as well. He and longtime friend and collaborator Jack White are currently working together on an album, along with Greenhornes bassist Jack Lawrence and drummer Patrick Keeler. That project, which Benson describes as having "a little of everything," is expected to see the light of day sometime next year, most likely through V2.

"I've got songs that I've pretty much written and [White] added lyrics to it. And he brought some songs, or actually made a bunch of 'em up on the spot," Benson Told Billboard. "It's cool, different stuff. Some of it sounds like Jack and some of it just sounds like Cat Stevens or something."